Should You Get an Air Fryer or an Air Fryer Toaster Oven? | Gear Heads

Air fryers are all the rage, and for good reason. They're essentially countertop convection ovens, but technology has changed a lot since we initially reviewed them. There a lots of new styles and types, including the air fryer toaster oven. So which one is right for you?

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[heidic]

We just switched from an air fryer to an air fryer toaster oven, and it has been a huge quality of life improvement in every way. We can fit more in it without increasing cooking times. We can set different trays at different heights for different foods. But by far, the very best thing about it is that fries take less than half of the time. Instead of putting them in the basket, then needing to pause and shake twice before they're done in about 22-24 minutes, they're done in 10 minutes. Five minutes, toss them about, switch which tray is on top, five more minutes. And they get way more uniformly crispy. And they're significantly easier to clean, just pull out the trays and wash, and there's a bottom crumb tray.

[fredruthven]

Hint: I have the Breville Smart Oven and to ease cleaning I put a silicone baking mat in the bottom drip tray. It fits perfectly and makes cleanup so much easier. Just pop it out and wash (it can even go in the dishwasher).

[thorpie]

On your recommendation I went out and bought the Instant Vortex Plus here in Australia. My wife was not Untill I cooked the first batch of fries. She begrudgingly acknowledged that this machine is worth it's weight in gold. Thank you ATK. I finally won an argument.

[kellyheath]

I have had the Breville Smart Oven Air for several years and I love it. She didn’t mention the other benefits of this oven though. It also dehydrates, broils, slow cooks or slow roasts, warms, reheats, and has a special bagel setting that leaves the bottom of the bagel soft.

[ipsphyllispalmer]

I've had the Breville Toaster oven for over a year and I still wonder why I waited so long to get one! It's one of the hardest working tools in my kitchen. It's AWESOME! I bake pies and whole chickens... it's crazy useful!

[dearmistyann]

I actually use this channel a lot to learn and teach the home ec version of what I consider to be important high school education for kids who need to become adults one day.

[leapintothewild]

TIP: if you need to cover something with foil but it keeps blowing off with the convection fan, lay a metal cooling rack on top! Holds it down without blocking the heat. Could never fold or crimp the edges tight enough that it didn’t end up flying off! lol

[slowbaker]

My Breville bakes all my pies during the holidays when my oven is doing double duty with turkey, dressing and casseroles. I use it nearly every day.

[donnagarside]

I was given an Airfryer oven and I love it! I spray a little oil on the steel basket before putting the food in. This helps with cleaning it. I also use a kitchen brush with a handle for the cleaning process. Works great! I also use baking paper in the baking tray, under the steel basket to catch crumbs.

[GS-pjtf]

I have a Breville Smart Oven and I’m very happy with it. I also don’t like nonstick for the chemicals released from the nonstick coating. Therefore, my choice is the stainless steel finish of the Breville Smart Oven. Additionally, my niece has to replace her air fryer about once a year. My Breville Smart Oven is over 6 years old and still going strong. I found that if you clean the oven regularly, it’s not difficult to clean. The trays/baskets remove easily for cleaning and the bottom tray that’s located below the lower baking elements cleans up easily. Happy baking/air frying! Also, thanks for this review 😀

[marihanna]

I live alone in a single room apartment. I would love to have a traditional air fryer and an oven, IF I have the space. So instead, I bought an air-fryer-oven to save space. The foods might not be a Michelin star restaurant level but it's good enough for me. You gain some, you lose some.

[shaniballard]

The Breville goes on sale for 20% off from time to time. Somehow I got lucky and was able to use an additional 20% off coupon with my purchase. So I got it for ~$250. Very happy with it!

[koalakisser]

I had the instant vortex for 3 years and I loved it. It was spacious and really easy to work with. The only issue was that it is difficult to clean the heating element and overtime the grease buildup will cause it to smoke. I ended up having to get a new one because I didn’t want to risk the chance of a fire.

[pryingeyes]

I actually prefer the toaster oven style of air fryer. It's more versatile and It's much easier to keep clean as well. Just wrap foil around the bottom liner and make it loose enough that you can gently press the foil into it's indentation.

Also, always, always, always slide the racks out with a tray/plate under it. It will save you time and frustration with clean-up.

[shellyshort]

I have the Breville. It’s very nice but to big for my kitchen. I’m returning it and purchasing the Instant Vortex Plus Air Fryer Oven, 6 Quart. I like that this unit is easy to clean. Thank you for this comparison which helped me make a better choice for us!

[TheWoodStroker]

I purchased the Instant air fryer based on this video. I like it. It does stink of plastic for the first hour of use. After that it was negligible. I used it to cook boneless, skinless chicken thighs. I set the temp at 375 and cooked for 15 minutes-they turned out fantastic. I was amazed and pleased. I put the cooking tray in dishwasher with no problems.

[ernestpaul]

hotdog bun in an air fryer is also amazing. 45sec to 1 minute and you get a crispy exterior while the interior is still soft. Great texture contrast

[bcanton]

I got a Gourmia 7qt air fryer from Costco for $50 and it’s now my favorite way to cook everything. I went from frozen to tender, crispy bbq wings in 20 mins. It’s super intuitive to the point that I didn’t read the instructions at all- I just pushed buttons and it did all the work. I wish I’d bought one sooner, but waiting meant I got mine for an amazing price.

[myAngel]

I have had my Breville smart oven for about 2 yrs and I love it. It air fries well even without the mesh tray. I use a 1/4 size sheet pan lined with nonstick foil and it works great. I have baked cookies and roasted meats. My 4qt Dutch oven fits in it. I’m going to get the instant AF for my daughter since she needs something a little more compact.

[ChrisJuzda]

I think the beginning of the video where she favours the basket over the oven style is misleading. Looks more like an infomercial where the oven style makes a terrible mess. We have had both and they both have advantages and disadvantages. Depending which one you get, the oven style definitely gives you a lot more room and flexibility and they are certainly not that hard to clean if you are careful removing the food (hold a plate or small cooking sheet under the shelf as you pull it out). The drip tray in the bottom catches anything that falls when cooking. For example - tonight I cooked some fish on the middle rack and a few minutes before it was done I put some asparagus on a rack and just slid it into the slot above the fish rack so both were done at the same time - could never do that with a basket model. We have a Sur la Table Oven model that is only marginally bigger than a 6 qt basket model but can easily cook twice as much. Finally, as everyone knows, air fryers cook better if you can get some separation between the pieces you are cooking to allow better air circulation. Once again, the oven model works better because you have more room the spread the food out. PS. The model we have also comes with a conventional type basket you can just slide in on top of the drip tray - also an rotisserie basket that is great for fries or wings.